Goshen News, Goshen, IN

Breaking News

Local News

February 6, 2010

Colts fans brave snow to reach Super Bowl in Miami

INDIANAPOLIS — Heavy snow was falling at Indianapolis International Airport as the strongest winter storm of the season hit Indiana on Friday, but many travelers' minds were on sunnier weather in Miami.

"It'd be terrible if the Colts fans can't get there to support the team," said Marshall McFadden, a 27-year-old logistics broker from Indianapolis who was headed to Florida to watch the Indianapolis Colts take on the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

McFadden, sporting a Colts stocking cap, was one of several Miami-bound Colts fans who came to the airport as much as three hours early after seeing weather forecasts calling for up to 8 inches of snow.

The National Weather Service said central Indiana could have 4 to 8 inches of snow by Saturday, when blowing and drifting could become a problem. But some places — such as Alexandria, about 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis — already had 6 inches on the ground by 8 p.m. Friday. Indianapolis had more than 4 inches.

Weather service meteorologist Adam Baker said the storm hitting Indiana was part of the bigger one bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic and threatening to dump as much as 30 inches of snow on Washington, D.C.

In New Castle in eastern Indiana, officials were preparing for up to 10 inches of snow. Crews were blanketing the streets with a corn-based de-icing fluid to keep ice from building up under the snow.

"The main thing is to get on this before it gets ahead of us," said Bob York, a public works official supervising a crew spraying the material Friday afternoon.

Snow was falling at a rate of more than an inch an hour in some areas, especially northeast of Indianapolis, said National Weather Service meteorologist Crystal Pettet.

Pettet expected the wet, heavy snow to become fluffier as temperatures dropped overnight, making it more susceptible to drifts kicked up by winds gusting up to 35 mph Saturday.

On the roadways, state police had extra officers on patrol during Friday's evening rush hour to help motorists as slideoffs and minor accidents broke out.

"Pretty much, it's like bumper cars," Indiana State Police spokesman 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said.

Two people were killed when the Jeep they were in slid into the path of a railroad utility truck about 3:30 p.m. on U.S. 35 between Muncie and Richmond in eastern Indiana, said Wayne County Chief Deputy Jeff Cappa.

At the Indianapolis airport, crews were busy de-icing planes but no major delays were reported.

"This is the one flight you don't want to miss," said 50-year-old Janice Malone of Westfield, wearing a Colts sweat shirt and coat and toting a purse modeled after Peyton Manning's jersey.

Most direct flights from Indianapolis to Miami were on time Friday, though some flights that pass through Philadelphia and Washington were canceled, forcing travelers to make other arrangements. Some were taking earlier flights.

Zionsville attorney Stan Pinegar, 45, was eager to reach his first Super Bowl with his 15-year-old son after his USAir flight through Philadelphia was canceled Thursday. He rebooked a flight on Southwest and came to the airport two hours early.

"I'm getting a little nervous, but we'll get there one way or another," he said. "We're going to do whatever it takes to get down there at this point."

Seth Thomas, a 33-year-old Indianapolis attorney, changed USAir flights twice Thursday ahead of the snowstorm, beating cancelations through Philadelphia and Washington before settling on a route through Charlotte, N.C. He showed up at the airport about three hours early.

USAir began canceling flights even before the storm to give passengers time to find other flights, said airline spokeswoman Valerie Wunder.

Text Only
Local News
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
Poll

The Goshen Housing Authority has a $571,050 shortfall. Should the Goshen City Council use money from its $4.7-million “rainy day” fund to pay the debt and maintain the current level of service provided by the voucher program?

Yes, the Council should allocate all the money owed
No, the Council should not allocate any money
The Council should pay what cannot be raised privately
     View Results
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
AP Video
Bacteria Keep Swimmers Off Some Fla. Beaches Police: Houston Found Under Water, Unconscious Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet Valentine Greetings Sent Worldwide From Loveland Greek Austerity Measures Spark Riots Raw Video: Obama Budget Goes to Capitol Hill Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight 'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party 79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport